X-DoNotUse-Sports

Liberty Back In WNBA Finals

August 30, 1999 / 11:25 PM EDT / AP

Crystal Robinson picked a good night to show why she's the New York Liberty's top 3-point shooter.

Robinson made 4-of-5 from behind the arc to finish with 18 points and helped advance the Liberty to the WNBA Finals with a 69-54 victory over the Charlotte Sting on Monday night.

"She's as good a shooter as I've ever had," New York coach Richie Adubato said. "And I've had some great shooters. I'm talking about Mark Price, Derek Harper, some great shooters."

Robinson went 7-for-8 from the field as the Liberty clinched the Eastern Conference title in the decisive game of the best-of-3 series against the Sting.

New York advanced to the WNBA Finals, which begin Thursday, for the second time in three seasons. The Liberty will meet the winner of the Houston-Los Angeles Western Conference final. They played later Monday night.

Robinson's 3-pointer, her fourth of the night, gave New York a 65-51 lead with just over a minute left and ignited the Madison Square Garden crowd of 12,929.

"I had to take the shot," Robinson said. "We didn't want to play a close game. We wanted to get a lead and keep it throughout the whole game so we didn't feel that kind of pressure. They were going in tonight, thankfully, for me."

New York, which shot 54 per cent, got 13 points from Vickie Johnson and 10 points apiece from Tamika Whitmore and Sophia Witherspoon.

Andrea Stinson, the only Sting player in double figures, had 24 points on 10-for-19 shooting. But the Sting shot just 37 percent and were outrebounded 32-20.

"Our defense wasn't as intense tonight," said Stinson, whose team lost 74-70 to New York on Monday. "They came out ready to play and put us back on our heels."

Ahead 32-26 at halftime, New York extended the lead to 45-36 with 13:42 remaining behind eight points by Robinson, who scored consecutive 3-pointers and a basket.

Witherspoon added another 3-pointer for a 50-38 lead with 11:12 remaining.

Kym Hampton's jumper extended the margin to 60-43 with just over five minutes left in the game. Charlotte applied a press, but could come no closer than 11 points in the final minutes.

Vicky Bullett, Rhonda Mapp and Charlotte Smith each finished with eight points for Charlotte. Dawn Staley was held to six points on 2-for-9 shooting and six assists.

"They outrebounded us," Staley said. "They got to the loose balls. We were a step slow tonight and it showed in every area of the game."

Hampton had eight points and 11 rebounds for the Liberty. Teresa Weatherspoon had a WNBA playoff-record 11 assists.

Weatherspoon jumped up on the scorers table after the game to celebrate with the crowd.

"I can't describe what I feel," said Weatherspoon, who dedicated this season to her nephew, who died in a car accident in May, and to Houston Comet guard Kim Perrot, who died of cancer on Aug. 19. "We've ben through a rollercoaster season. I've gone through a lot."

"(The fans) deserved to know how much we appreciate them. It was a joyous moment. We get to enjoy it and tomorrow when we get to practice we let it go and get ready for the next two games we have to win."

Hampton's layup gave New York its biggest lead of the first half, 28-17 with 4:29 remaining. Behind five points by Stinson, the Sting closed within six at halftime.

Stinson scored 11 first-half points on 5-for-10 shooting, but the Sting shot just 32 per cent.